With thanks to Michael Oakes www.michaeljoakes.com
Hello! Ose is my small company making hand made designer lampshades, using knitting to create a three-dimensional textile design, with a pleasing curvy shape unique to Ose. Each lampshade is hand produced to order by me: hand knitted and hand finished. I also take commissions to produce a bespoke lampshade to your custom design or colour.
Ose means ‘Dare’ in French. Dare to choose a beautiful, unusual and sculptural lampshade to punctuate your decor and bring life to your space!
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About designer-maker Helen Taylor
My passions are beautiful spaces around us and science. I have a degree in textile science, and a Master’s degree in environmental engineering. I have worked as a colour research scientist and a sustainability consultant for the built environment. My scientific background combined with my lifelong love of colour, design and creating things have been the inspiration for Ose.
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How are Ose lampshades made?
I source my yarns specifically for lower environmental impact. I use pure linen recycled yarn using recycled fibre, and pure unbleached silk yarn. The yarns are spun by a small company also in Yorkshire. My ethos is to provide an alternative to cotton, which has a very high environmental impact as a result of its growing and processing, and to source all our materials from small local businesses.
Each of my lamp shades is made from a tube of knitting, hand knitted from natural yarn. Each lampshade is either hand dyed, using a dip-dye or batch dye technique, or left natural and uncoloured. The knitted structure is stretched over the lampshade frame. Where a finish such as a fabric weave is included, this is added as a final stage.
The Ose knitted design has been safety tested against and complies with the relevant British Standard for fire retardancy. Each lampshade is treated inside with a non-toxic fire retardant spray, and our lampshades must always be used with a low-energy light bulb. Go to our Shop to have a look round.
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Ose – the designer lighting range that makes life better – an article about Ose Designs
People who care about their homes, as well as the world around them, will love the range of stunning handmade lighting by Ose Designs. Designed by sustainability guru Helen Taylor, Ose Designs is a range of up-cycled table, standard and pendant lamps that feature beautiful and unusual hand-knitted shades. The range is made from locally sourced recycled materials by local manufacturers and craftspeople,resulting in a lower environmental impact.
Ose Designs was born in 2009 when Helen decided to re-use and up-cycle an old lampshade and experimented by stretching woven and hand-knitted tubes over the original frame. She loved the effect and so did everyone else.
The curvy, assymmetrical shape of Ose Designs varies from the small and quirky table lamps to the larger sculptural pendants that create a stunning design statement. And because every Ose Designs lamp is hand-made, each one is truly unique.
Beloved of home owners and interior designers alike, Ose Designs provides a new way of lighting a space, adding style and personality while also caring for the environment by re-using and up-cycling existing materials to create a new product.
In addition to the classic, neutral range, new designs will include geometric stripes and spots as well as new brighter colours including greens, pinks and oranges.
Helen Taylor, designer and founder, Ose Designs says:
“I’ve always loved making things and sustainability has always been close to my heart. I spend a lot of time sourcing and researching more environmentally sustainable options for my own life as well as my business. It’s all about being a more careful consumer and I would like to be able to inspire and help people to be that through Ose Designs.”
